J Cooper Photography

1.  I despise packing.  But I could NOT be HAPPIER that we are heading out for a quick (and much needed) weekend away. Nebraska here we come!

2.  I am DONE with my fall sessions!  (unless we’ve chatted)  Which means…we are leaving for AFRICA soon!  I have a lot of galleries up and loaded (only 2 more to go!) and will be working as hard as I can to get orders back to clients as quickly as I can.  So don’t dilly dally…get me your orders asap so I can come and ring your doorbell with fun stuff in hand!

3.  MONDAY I GET TO MEET EMMA!  I can not wait to tell her:  Yo soy su tía. ¡Te quiero!

4.  Sam finally got his cast removed!  He was doing great for a few days and recently started limping again….oy!

5.  Some annonymous people (ahem…Mom) have noticed my lack of personal pics here on the blog.  I hope to remedy that soon.  Although I do still have quite a few sessions to share…oh decisions, decisions.  My cute kids or other people’s cute kids??  Hmmm….

6.  TWENTY TWO DAYS PEOPLE!!!

7.  I almost have Daniel’s room knocked out.  Anyone know where to find a super cute rug (read: super cheap) in denim-ish blues?  I need it to be larger than the typical 4×6 size sold at Target!

8.  Going to try our luck at the pumpkin patch again this weekend.  Hoping the castless little man will be in a better mood!

9.  Cowgirl + Cupcake Princess + Monkey eating a banana = ridiculously cute kids

10.  I’m dying to buy Daniel some special duds to wear…SO WISH I knew how big he is!

11.  Advice on baby wraps / slings?  What do you LOVE?

12.  Parent teacher conferences tonight and last night my girls asked “are you going to school to hear how awesome I am?”  Got confidence?

13.  Off to pack, round up the costumes, and get some deliveries ready!

14.  OK…can’t resist at least one cute pic

I don’t normally think of photographing (almost) 3 year olds as a walk in the park.  It usually takes a good deal of effort on everyone’s part to get those grins…lots of crazy behavior from me and a serious workout for mom and dad too.  But this little gal…oh no…she LOVED the camera.  She ran out of her car…hopped right up on Charlotte…and batted those baby blues right at my big black monster!

Mom contacted me through my blog and they came ALL the way from near Chicago to see me.  Ok. Ok.  They didn’t come just to see me (that would have been pretty sweet though wouldn’t it?)  But while they were here visiting family we were able to sneak in a session at the park.  And Little Miss was ALL smiles even after a LONG day in the car.  Can you imagine if she had been fresh.  I don’t think I could have handled the cuteness!

I love it when I meet new clients and we instantly become friends.  And I love how God brings people together who have a similar heart.  Pretty amazing people…pretty great night!  And I didn’t even break a sweat

The first time their mom called me she said something like “I’ve got the cutest little guys…but good luck getting a picture of them!”  I took that as a challenge…and last year we got this keeper.

They have grown up a lot over the course of the year…but they definitely haven’t lost their spunk!  We tackled a nearby park and had LOADS of fun in the leaves.  We did lots of this…

And lots of this…

And only their Mom, Dad, and I will EVER know what it took to finally GET THIS

Are they cute or what?  The curls get me every time.  That and the sweet hugs and high fives they gave me after the session (of course they had fists full of smarties so they were loving me big time!)

The color right now is STUNNING…so much beauty all around us!

Mom and Dad are pretty darn adorable too….it’s no wonder these two cuties are such heart breakers!

Thanks for spending the morning with me little buddies.  Next year we will have some more fun and I’ll still be talking about your cute curls

Thankful and humbled.  Those are the only words I have right now to express what a JOY this day has been!

I slept last night…exhausted from a busy day with my kiddos.  I fell asleep praying…and with complete peace that God is holding Daniel in the palm of His hand.  If there is one thing I have learned on this journey it would be that I am NOT in control.  That has been a hard lesson for me.  But last night I was at peace that God has a plan and a purpose in Daniel life.  If I can trust Him…he can take care of the details.  So I slept…and woke up ready to tackle a busy day of Halloween parties and parades.  At 9:30 my phone rang and I almost didn’t answer it as I was right in the middle of dealing with a processing glitch on my computer.  SO THANKFUL I picked up the phone.  Because on the other end my case worker had come to work EARLY to share the GOOD NEWS that WE PASSED COURT!  WOW…God has been so faithful!

A few minutes ago I sat down to check my email and found this amazing message in my inbox from a fellow adoptive family with our agency who just returned from Hannah’s Hope:

Tonight while we sleep (or don’t) there will be BIG things happening in Ethiopia.  Our preliminary court appointment will happen sometime Friday in Addis to determine if Daniel can be ours.  There are a number of things required to be at court in order for us to pass:  a letter from the MOWA (Ministry of Women’s Affairs), a letter from Central Authority, and the testimony from someone at Bethesda Children’s Home where Daniel was first taken.  Typically this court date is referred to as the “birth parent’s hearing”.  But in Daniel’s case his birth parents are not able to come to relinquish their rights.  Those rights have already been broken and he is already officially a ward of the state.

Will you join me in praying for a PASS on our first hearing?  Our case worker warned us that it is just as likely NOT to pass on the first attempt.  But we are hopeful that while we sleep tonight, God will bring all the pieces of this puzzle together so that we can continue to move closer to having our son!

In other fun news…here I am at the travel clinic this morning getting my travel shots.  $560 later (for both Mr. P and myself) and we are covered in band-aids.  We’ll have to head back over to the clinic for a few booster shots over the next few weeks but we are getting CLOSE TO TRAVELING!  Praising God that we are one step closer to seeing Daniel!

This is the post where I announce that as hard as it is to say “NO”…my calendar is beyond full and I won’t be taking anymore sessions in 2010!

Our lives are about to change in a BIG WAY in ONE MONTH and it is time to shift my priorities to a new place.  I truly do love that I have the opportunity to do this photography thing while I stay home with my little people.  And through this business I have raised the necessary funds to bring Daniel home (at least what we have owed so far…haven’t tackled the moolah for the 2nd trip yet!)  So I am SO VERY thankful to ALL of my clients.  But my phone keeps ringing.  And as much as I would like to say “YES”…I promised my family that I would stop working Nov. 1st and just be mom.  I will be wrapping up all of my fall sessions ordering, delivering, and proofing before we leave on our trip to Africa and just don’t have the time to accomodate more sessions.  If you were hoping for a fall session date I have several local photographers I would be HAPPY to recommend!

I will be making a couple of teeny tiny exceptions for a few “Grow with Me”  and Newborn session families.  So if you have contacted me about your package….don’t panic!

There are a MILLION things going through my head right now.  In ONE MONTH I am going to meet my son.  On the other side of the world.  Brown and beautiful and a complete stranger to me.  I’m going to be a mommy again…and I don’t have a thing ready.  And all I can think about is getting him IN MY ARMS so I can smell his soft hair and look at his BIG BROWN EYES.

THIRTY DAYS PEOPLE.  3-0.  And we’ll be on a plane changing our lives forever!

And because I just can’t post without a quick picture….how about this little peanut.  Oh my word was she a hoot.  I have a BUNCH to share from their session…but this one…too funny!  I asked her to stand up between Mom and Dad and give me her best smile…and this is what I got

Lots I still need to share when I can find the time to organize my thoughts and my proofing folders   Hoping to be back soon!

I learn something every time I pick up my camera.  I can’t even pretend to know all the answers.  The learning curve is too steep.  But during this session it wasn’t lighting, color correction, or exposure that I was learning.  It was diligence, courage, faith, and resilience.  Ms. L…you have taught me so much about how to grab life by the horns and take hold.  You are an inspiration to me.  Thank you for your spunk and your beautiful smile!

So happy we got this cute shot of you with Bingo.  I hope this is a special memory for you!

P.S.  She’s just adorable isn’t she?

My baby girl.  six.  {sigh}

Every year we sneak away one evening for a little birthday photo fun.  I look forward to that uninterrupted time alone that seems so rare these days.  Six seems to old to me for this tiny little body…yet fits so perfect with her twirling, giggling, belly laughing ways.

Our sweet (and spicy) little Jule.  Oh, do you make our house fun and full!  You are our drama queen, mischievous leader, and the keeper of all rules.  You adore your big sister and baby brother…and this year…you’ve embraced your spot in the middle with open arms.  You’re eager to learn and try new things (and to do them better than anyone else).  You live each day straddling the fence between reality and make believe.  I’ll never forget the night you asked to pray before dinner.  “Thank you Jesus for Mommy and Daddy…Anna and Baby Sam…(and then in a hushed voice)…make me FLY!!”  I pray that you will always have so much faith in God to do the impossible in your life.  I’m praying you always DREAM BIG and have the hope and perseverance to go after those dreams.  I’m daily amazed by how those tiny fingers have such dexterity on your violin.  And how focused and mature you can be at the drop of a hat…only to quickly be bounding back into the world of fairies and twillerbees.  You are the world champion snuggler and have the uncanny ability to turn my day around with a simple bear hug. You love knock knock jokes and do the heartiest belly laugh I’ve ever heard come out of a little girl.  You snore like a lumber jack and dance like a feather.  You are a complete joy.

I hope your birthday is the Happiest of Days.

I thank God every day that I get to be your mommy.

And even though this year you drew all over the inside of my car with ball point pen…I love you dearly.

Some day you’ll be “too old” to steal away for birthday pictures…so I’m going to savor the moment now.

Promise me you’ll always keep that willing smile.  It will take you far in life.

Throw in that silly spunk we all adore and you’ll always find a reason to be happy.

But as you grow…just promise…to always be my baby.

Happy Birthday, Jules.

We loaded up the Cooper wagon this past weekend and hit the hay – HA!  With the 87* weather and our allergies in FULL force…it was a wild day!  It sounded so fun.  But in all reality…a 2 year old with a broken leg and the pumpkin patch don’t really mix.  Nothing like trying to keep a screaming toddler out of the silo full of tiny corn pellets…or untangling him from the mounds of twisted pumpkin vines in the field…or watching the sweat pour down his little face in the blistering sun while his little cast bakes his leg.  And then their was the whole potty trained/outhouse issue.  Good times I tell ya

But despite the whining and general crabiness…we had a swell time   Here’s our little Cooper Family Montage!  Don’t let those smiles of his fool you.  Our little “Mr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was a wild man.

Cooler weather is upon us…and we’ll brave another trip here in a few weeks….CASTLESS!  Can’t wait!

until my little one comes home from school and I am dying to hear about her day.  She was a nervous wreck this morning.  Her teacher emailed a few weeks ago suspecting she was needing glasses…and sure enough…we quickly made an apt. with the eye doctor and glasses were ordered (her vision was 20/80).  She wasn’t thrilled with the idea from the get go but her mood changed when I let her choose her glass frames all on her own.  She definitely had an idea of exactly what she wanted.  Pink. Check.  Purple.  Check.  All was well in the Brainiac’s world.  Until the glasses came from the lab and she actually had to WEAR them.  That’s when the tears started.

There have been LOTS of tears.  And not just from her.  Ms. Middle thinks NOT having glasses is the most unfair thing that has EVER happened to her.  And to prove her point she fudged her school eye exam on purpose!  She’s been walking around bumping into things and exclaiming, “see that STOP sign over there that says STOP…yeah I totally can’t read that!”

I walked The Brainiac  into class this morning to help relieve a bit of the pressure.  She was literally trembling walking behind me with anticipation over what the “kids would say”.  My mommy heart was tugging for her.  She’s so sensitive and all that attention was just killing her.  Her teacher spotted us along with about 6 of the girls in her class.  They immediately swarmed her with congratulatory praises…lots of “those are SO cool!” and “WOW…tie dye glasses…that’s the best!”  I left her still a bit teary and unsure.  Hoping she’s had a super great day (and that those glasses have stayed on all day!)

I think she’s just about the cutest thing in the world.  (I may be biased).  Will you give her some love?  When she gets home I’ll read the responses to her and make her feel super cool